The Weight of Worlds
| miniseries = | author =Greg Cox | editor = | publisher =Pocket Books | format =paperback | published = | reformat = | reprint = | pages = 352 | ISBN = | omnibus = | date = | stardate = | altcover = | caption = |}} Publisher's description :An original novel set in the universe of Star Trek: The Original Series! :The Ephrata Institute is an intellectual think tank at the outer fringes of the final frontier. Dedicated to the arts and sciences, the Institute seems an unlikely target for an invasion, but it proves easy pickings when the Crusade comes from beyond, determined to impose its harsh, unbending Truth on all the worlds of the Federation. Armed with weaponized gravity, the alien Crusaders will stop at nothing to rescue the universe from its myriad beliefs . . . even if it means warping the mind and soul of every sentient being they encounter. :Responding to an urgent distress signal, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise soon find themselves in conflict with the Crusade, and facing individual challenges. When Kirk and Spock are transported to the Crusade’s distant homeland to confront the source of the invasion, Sulu finds himself trapped behind enemy lines, while Lieutenant Uhura is faced with possibly the most difficult decisions of her career. :As the Crusade sets its sights beyond Ephrata IV, it is up to the Enterprise and its besieged crew to keep freedom of thought from being crushed beneath the weight of worlds! '' Summary The ''Enterprise is sent to answer a distress call from Ephrata IV, one of the Federation's most important research posts. Arriving and receiving no response to hails, Kirk, Spock, Sulu and security officer Ensign Fawzia Yaseen beam down only to find the post staff have been brainwashed into serving a fanatical religion, the Truth. The outpost has been taken over by the Crusaders, the militant religious order of the Ialatls who have come from another dimension. The landing party are quickly captured but one of the Crusaders, Maxah, is a member of a resistance group. He palms Kirk and Spock a phaser before they are transported through a dimensional portal to Ialat and saves Sulu and Yaseen from undergoing the same brainwashing procedure as the researchers. He then tricks the Enterprise into beaming him aboard but is unable to convince them to leave orbit, resulting in them being captured by a gravity cannon that holds them in place. Scotty is injured during an attempt to break free, leaving Uhura in command. Kirk and Spock are met by Vlisora, the consort of the world's God-King Jaenab. However, she turns out to be a member of the resistance. She explains that until recently the Truth was a peaceful religion with most administration left in the hand of secular authorities. However, the opening of the portal to other universes shocked them with the discovery of life unaware of the Truth. Alone in their universe and with no cultural diversity, the Ialatls saw this as a sign of a coming apocalypse, turning away from any part of their culture that contradicted the Truth and seeing it as their duty to forcibly convert the new universe. Sulu and Yaseen attempt acts of sabotage but are captured. Yaseen is brainwashed and the local Crusader leader, Sokis, threatens Sulu with death unless Uhura hands the Enterprise over. Maxah helps Uhura jam the control signal, freeing those who have been brainwashed. Weaponless and outnumbered, the Crusaders are easily overpowered and the gravity cannon destroyed. Kirk and Spock try to destroy the portal but, wanting a confrontation with her husband, Vlisora allows Kirk to be captured. Kirk challenges Jaenab to a trial by ordeal, consisting of a zero-gravity ball game. Kirk bends the rules as far as he can, causing Jaenab to be injured by a contracting hoop, but Jaenab still refuses to submit. However, Spock and Vlisora manage to retrieve the helmet Jaenab uses to give his people telepathic instructions. Spock uses it to mind meld with Jaenab, presenting him with evidence that different cultures can co-exist by using his own childhood as an example through his memories of Sarek and Amanda Grayson. His belief shaken, Jaenab calls off the Crusade, entering into seclusion and leaving Vlisora to rule in his stead. Once everyone is returned to their own dimension, the portals are dismantled until the Ialatls are ready to accept other races' existence. References Characters :Paul Alvarez • Christine Chapel • Pavel Chekov • Elena Collins • Philip Ferrari • • Greenberg • Hevlas • Jaenab • James T. Kirk • John Kyle • Lasem • Charlene Masters • Mav • Maxah • Leonard McCoy • Elizabeth Palmer • Dagmar Polasky • Montgomery Scott • Sokis • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Tabus • Nyota Uhura • Vlisora • Sri Winchdu • Fawzia Yaseen • Yvete Apollo • Jonathan Archer • Bele • John Carter • Zefram Cochrane • D'Artagnan • Richard Daystrom • DeSalle • Devil • Galileo Galilei • God • Bob Grant • Guardian of Forever • Kabrol • Aurelan Kirk • George Samuel Kirk, Jr. • Kirok • • Lazarus • Janice Lester • Man in the Iron Mask • Jabilo M'Benga • Miramanee • Muhammad • Helen Noel • Nomad • Oracle of the People • Christopher Pike • Sarek • George Bernard Shaw • Phineas Tarbolde • Trelane • Twelve Celestial Messengers • Vaal Starships and vehicles :bullet train • ( ) • flyer • glider • Ialatl cruiser • royal flyer • tram bus • • hot-air balloon • • Romulan Bird-of-Prey • rowboat • • shuttlecraft • Yakima Locations :bridge • cockpit • Ephrata IV • the galaxy • Ialat • Pearl Square • Phlox Library • sickbay • Temple of Passage • Trang Hall • transporter room • universe • Wyvern system Alpha Centauri • Amerind • Ardana • Atlanta • Beta III • brig • Brubaker Prime • Capella IV • Cestus III • • Deneva • Dloggia Prime • Earth • Eminiar VII • engineering • Fluidic space • Gamma Trianguli VI • Georgia • Gothos • Hayak V • Iowa • Ishtar Station • Janus IV • Luna • Mars • Middle East • Mojave • Mount Olympus • • New Coney Island • New Sonoma • Nova Amazonia • Omicron Ceti III • Pyris VII • rec room • Samaritan Station • Shawan V • Sigma Draconis VI • Sistine Chapel • Sol system • Starbase 13 • Stratos • • Venus • • Yonada Races and cultures :Andorian • Caitian • Deltan • Edosian • Human (British • Cossack • Mohawk • Russian • Scotsman • Terran) • Ialatl • Orion • Tellarite • Vulcan Aenar • Capellan • Elasian • Gorn • Horta • Kelvan • Klingon • Medusan • Organian • Platonian • • Providers • Romulan • Tholian • Za'Huli States and organizations :Crusade • Environmental Sciences • Ephrata Institute • Starfleet • Starfleet Academy • United Federation of Planets Science and technology :adrenaline • android • antenna • antigrav engine • antigrav lifter • antigrav stretcher • archaeology • artificial gravity • atmosphere • bacteria • baton • bayonet • biobed • blood • bomb • bone • brain • Brownian motion • centimeter • chemistry • chisel • chronometer • Class-J gravity well • climate-control station • club • coma • communicator • computer • • control panel • cordrazine • cosmology • • cutlass • database • data slate • deflector • deflector shield • diameter • dimension • dimensional barrier • dimensional portal • dimensional rift • disruptor • drug • elevator • energy • • fencing foil • first-aid kit • force field • fountain • fusion generator • geology • gravity • gravity cannon • gravity projector • gravity lance • gravity mace • hair • hammer • heart • helium • Hodgkin's Law • hologram • hunting staff • hypospray • impulse engine • inertial damper • intercom • kilogram • kilometer • klaxon • kligat • knife • lamp • • laser scalpel • Lazarus corridor • lirpa • machete • medical scanner • medkit • memory bank • meteorology • meter • microtape • micro-wormhole • mirror • monitor • nebula • orbit • oxygen • ozone • palm-light • phaser • photon • photon torpedo • pistol • pitchfork • plasma • plasma conduit • power pack • probe • psionic resonator • psychic receptor • pulsar • quantum filament distortion • quantum singularity • quasar • radiation • rapier • reader tube • respirator • rifle • roller coaster • scanner • science log • sensor • shovel • space • space-time anomaly • space-time continuum • • spinal cord • stabilizer • steri-field • Stone of Gol • subspace telescope • sword • telepathic amplifier • telescope • temporal lobe • tentacle • Therbian fever • Tholian web • time • tractor beam • transporter • tricorder • trilaser connector • Troyian dagger • turbolift • type-1 phaser • type-2 phaser • universal translator • video recorder • viewscreen • virus • warp core • wormhole • wrench • xenoarchaeology • zero gravity • zero gravity safety net Ranks and titles :administrator • ambassador • archaeologist • artist • astronaut • biochemist • captain • commander • commanding officer • communications officer • cosmologist • crewman • doctor • • engineer • ensign • first officer • game-keeper • geneticist • God-King • God-Slayer • helmsman • High Brother • High-Priestess • historian • junior officer • librarian • lieutenant • lieutenant commander • mechanic • medic • musician • nurse • officer • pilot • playwright • poacher • • president • professor • scholar • science officer • scientist • security chief • security officer • senior officer • soldier • technician • theoretical physicist • warrior-priest • yeoman Other references :23rd century • alien • Antarean devil-hog • anti-pasto • apocalypse • Arcturian tapestry • Argelian belly-dancing • asteroid belt • auditorium • autumn • bacon • bagpipes • ball • balloon • basalt • bat • billiards • bloodhound • bone flute • book • canteen • century • chicken • Christmas • coffee • colony • copper • crater • crustacean • decade • Denobulan show tunes • diamond • diplomacy • distress signal • Diwali • duranium • English language • fencing • fire • first contact • fly • fossil • fruit • General Order 24 • glass • graffiti • granite • Gravity Revolution • gymnasium • Hanukkah • hieroglyphics • history • holiday • homework • horse • hour • humanoid • IDIC • insect • iron • ivy • kal-if-fee • kamikaze • karate • Kentucky bluegrass • kinetic sculpture • kite • Klingon opera • ''Kobayashi Maru'' scenario • Kolinahr • koon-ut-kal-if-fee • Kwanza • landing party • library • limestone • lizard • logic • magic wand • mammal • marble • mask • mastiff • • metal • meteor • millennia • mind control • mind meld • minute • mololo zam • month • moon • moray eel • mountain • mugato • museum • music • Muunian sand torture • Neptunian Lottery • neutronium • Nightingale Woman • observatory • Omicron spore • osmotic crystal • pancake • paper • philosophy • pictograph • pig • pinball • piracy • The Pit and the Pendulum • planetarium • planet • Plutonian marathon • poetry • poker • possum • prejudice • Prime Directive • puppet • pyramid • quadrant • quarantine • racism • rain • Ramadan • rodent • rope • rubber • Rukiltosi lizard-monkey • Saint Valentine's Day • sarcophagus • Saturnian Blessing of the Rings • scrilatyl • scroll • sea anemone • sector • sehlat • Senturan banshee • serpent • shore leave • silicon • silver • sky scraper • snake • spaceport • stardate • Starfleet uniform • star • steak • steel • surgery • surgical mask • • tal-shaya • tea • theology • thermal blanket • thermoconcrete • The Three Musketeers • transparent aluminum • tree • tribble • trumpet • the Truth • uniform • vegetable • Venetian blinds • Vulcan lyre • water • xenophobia • year • ziggurat • zombie Timeline Chronology Appendices Images the Weight of Worlds.jpg|Cover image. jtkWoW.jpg|James T. Kirk. spockWoW.jpg|Spock. suluWoW.jpg|Hikaru Sulu. External links * Category:TOS novels